


Old and New

by likeadeuce



Category: DCU - Comicverse
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-04-14
Updated: 2010-04-14
Packaged: 2017-10-08 22:57:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/80359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/likeadeuce/pseuds/likeadeuce
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's a new redhead in Gotham, and Barbara Gordon can't help being curious.  Set around the beginning of "One Year Later".</p>
            </blockquote>





	Old and New

Stacy glances over her shoulder at Babs, hand poised in uncertainty over the switch. "Ms. Gordon," says the Gotham Major Crimes Unit's best paid and longest-serving temp. "Are you absolutely sure this is officially okay?"

Babs gives her a thin smile. "Of course it isn't officially okay," she says. "How could there be anything official about it? The GCPD doesn't officially acknowledged the existence of --" She taps at the base of what is, really, just a very large spotlight. "Hmm?"

"So," Stacy says, talking through the reasoning Babs has given her. "Since no one in an official capacity ever calls -- him -- then it's okay _you_ don't have an official capacity because --" The temp's brow scrunches, and Babs winces inwardly. She thought she had done a better job making her case than that. It's been too long since she's tried to persuade anyone of anything, in her personal capacity as Barbara Gordon. Being Oracle is too easy in some ways.

"You can call my Dad." Babs hates to pull out this card, but she's come too far to lose the fight here. "He's probably busy, but --"

"It's okay," Stacy says hastily. And she flips the switch. The signal lights up the sky, a giant bat spreading wings against the cloud. For a moment Gotham is breathtaking and Babs, on a brief family visit from her duties in Metropolis, wonders how she can stand to be away from this majestic, terrifying city.

Stacy stands uncertainly. "Do you want me to stay?"

"No need." It's politer than "Go away," but the intent is just as clear. Babs rolls forward in her chair, making it clear that she can get around without Stacy's help.

"I'll be back in twenty minutes," Stacy says, edging toward the door. "Just to check."

"I'll only need ten," Babs predicts. Much longer than that, she guesses, and her father will be here himself.

It doesn't taken ten minutes. There's movement on her peripheral vision, a flash of red.

"Come out where I can see you," Babs calls.

"I wasn't sure the invitation was for me." It's a woman's voice, strong and low-pitched, as though she's putting it on a bit.

"It is for you," Babs tells her. "It's only for you. He won't be coming."

"I thought he was back. She drops from the top of the shed, onto the flat surface of the rooftop. The cape is tapered like a bat's wings, the gloves and boots and mask are tinged red, like the bat logo on her chest. And her hair. Her hair is red, too. That's part of what's brought Babs up here.

"He is back in Gotham. He won't be coming tonight," Babs says. She'd been firm about that with Bruce, and he'd been in a mood to humor her. He was keeping an eye on her somehow, of course -- that was what what she would do -- but he'd seemed to get that the meeting was important to her. "Sorry to disappoint," Babs continued. "Was that what you were expecting? To follow the Batman up here?"

"I wasn't expecting you to be holding the signal," she says flatly. She shakes her head out, and there's something about the way the hair moves. Babs is pretty sure it's a wig. She steps into the halo of the signal, and it's clear her face is made up, too. It's almost white, like greasepaint, and for a moment Babs feels a chill. But no, this woman is a hero. The reports have been unanimous on that; Dick's was nearly glowing, in fact, which was a bit more than Babs wanted to hear. "Who are you?" asks the woman in the mask.

"I don't have to be anybody. I'm just a curiosity seeker. I wanted to take a look at the new Batgirl."

"Not Batgirl." The head toss. There's something about the woman's stance, the way she plants her feet when she faces Babs, the way she holds her shoulders. It's telling her something that she hasn't pinned down. It annoys her to think that Bruce would know right away. "Batwoman."

"Very well. You grew up."

"Is that what people are saying?"

"Aren't they? There used to be a redheaded Batgirl. She was gone for a while. Now you're here. People can put the pieces together."

"Is that what you think you're doing?" Batwoman asks. "Are you some kind of amateur detective trying to solve my identity?"

"Amateur? And what are you, then?" Babs counters. "Did somebody hire you to do this?"

"I don't have to explain myself." The stance again. Now she clasps her hands behind her back.

"No," Babs agrees. "But --" She remembers the feeling. "Wouldn't you like to? Dressing up in black, running out in the night -- if it were just that, I could believe you really don't want attention. But the red? The boots, the chest. The wig? Those all say, 'Look at me.' The very fact you came out here says you want attention. So. You have it. Give me the mission statement. What are you trying to do out there?" _Wearing my hair_.

"To serve," Batwoman says, simply. "This is the way that I can serve, this is how I've chosen to do it." A soldier then. That was what the posture was telling her. The hands behind her back at parade rest. A soldier doing her best to serve.

"We all do what we can," Babs agrees.

"So your curiosity--" Batwoman's tongue flicks out and touches her painted lip. "It's satisfied."

"Not even remotely," says Babs. A car alarm starts to go off, down in the street. Glass breaks somewhere. "But I won't keep you here."

"Very well, Barbara Gordon," she says. "Maybe we'll meet again." And Batwoman goes off into the night.

"She thinks she knows who I am," Babs says out loud. Then she laughs. _I'll know who you are, Batwoman, before you have any idea about me_.

Maybe it was foolish to make such a production of this meeting. It wasn't something she would normally have done. But someone had been swinging around Gotham, wearing Babs's hair, and she'd wanted to decide for herself how she felt about that.

Not so bad. Not so bad at all. Batwoman might even make a good Bird some day.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [The Mask You Met Me In (Laser Light Remix)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/188333) by [Teaotter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Teaotter/pseuds/Teaotter)




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